Amid
Burundi
Crackdown, ICP
Asks UN of
Threatened
Judge,
Museveni
By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS, May
5, with video
-- Amid
protests and
crackdown
after Pierre
Nkurunziza was
nominated to
run for a
third term as
President in
seeming
violation of
the Arusha
Peace Accord,
Inner City
Press has
asked the UN
about Burundi,
most recently
on May 4 and May 5.
On
May 4, Inner
City Press
asked UN
Spokesman
Stephane
Dujarric:
Inner
City Press: On
Burundi, I
want to know
if you have
any statement
on the
violence in
the capital in
which at least
two people
have been
killed today
protesting the
third-term run
of the
President?
Spokesman
Dujurric:
Sure, we
continue to
follow the
events in
Burundi with
great concern
and deplore
the loss of
lives and
injuries as
well as the
destruction of
property that
we've
seen. We
reiterate our
calls to all
the parties to
reject
violence,
exercise
maximum
restraint, and
avoid using
inflammatory
language, as
well as to
take the
necessary
appeasement
measures to
create
conditions for
dialogue.
In this
regard, the UN
mission on the
ground, MENUB,
has been
encouraging
all
stakeholders
to seize the
opportunities
of the
dialogue that
is organized
by the
Ministry of
Interior with
the support of
the UN on 5
and 6
May.
That is
tomorrow and
Wednesday.
And we trust
that
stakeholders
will see and
build on this
dialogue as an
opportunity to
defuse
tensions and
seek common
grounds for
creating
conditions for
the holding of
peaceful,
inclusive, and
credible
elections in
Burundi.
Later
on May 4, Ban
Ki-moon met
with Uganda's
Yoweri
Museveni, but
no UN read-out
was issued. On
May 5, Inner
City Press
asked for
this, and
about the
judge who fled
the country
amid death
threats. Video
here.
Dujarric said
those
"allegations"
should be
investigated,
and that the
UN "takes
note" of the
decision after
threat to
offer judicial
blessing to a
run for a
third term.
Taking note?
We'll have
more on this.
On
April 27 Inner
City Press
asked Ban's
deputy
spokesperson
Farhan Haq,
and got in
response an
"if-asked." Transcript here
and see
below.
Update:
On April 28,
Inner City
Press asked
the month's UN
Security
Council
president,
Dina Kawar of
Jordan, to
confirm that
Burundi would
be taken up by
the Council on
April 29. Yes,
she said, we
may have a
Burundi AOB
(Any Other
Business -
that is, added
item for
Security
Council
consultations.)
Now
belatedly Ban
Ki-moon has
issued this
statement:
"The
Secretary-General
condemns the
outbreak of
violence in
Burundi
following the
nomination of
President
Pierre
Nkurunziza as
the
presidential
candidate of
the ruling
National
Council for
the Defense of
Democracy–Forces
for the
Defense of
Democracy
(CNDD-FDD)
party. He
calls on the
Burundian
authorities to
conduct a
prompt
investigation
into the
deaths that
occurred
during the
recent
demonstrations
so that those
responsible
are held
accountable.
The
Secretary-General
has dispatched
his Special
Envoy for the
Great Lakes
Region, Said
Djinnit to
Burundi for
consultations
with President
Nkurunziza and
other
Government
authorities,
political
party leaders
and members of
the diplomatic
community. He
calls on the
Burundian
authorities to
uphold the
human rights
of all
Burundians,
including the
freedom of
assembly,
association
and
expression. He
calls on the
security
services to
remain
impartial and
exercise
restraint in
responding to
public
demonstrations.
He urges all
parties to
reject
violence and
avoid using
inflammatory
language or
hate speech
that could
further
increase
tensions.
The
Secretary-General
appeals to
Burundians to
safeguard the
hard won gains
made in
consolidating
peace and
democracy and
urges them to
resolve their
differences
through
dialogue. He
reiterates the
commitment of
the United
Nations to
support
peaceful,
credible and
inclusive
elections."
From the UN's
April 27
transcript:
Inner
City
Press:
On Burundi,
over the
weekend, the
ruling party
nominated the
current
president for
a third… to
run for a
third
term.
And there have
been
crackdowns by
the police,
the closure of
a radio
station, Radio
Public
Africaine, and
others… I'm
wondering
other
countries have
spoken.
What is the
UN's response
to what's
happened?
Deputy
Spokesman
Haq:
Yeah, we're
following the
situation in
Burundi very
closely and
we're deeply
concerned over
the violence
over the
weekend,
including of a
number of
deaths
following the
announcement
that the
president
would seek a
third term and
we urge a
swift
investigation
into the
violence.
Said Djinnit,
the Special
Envoy for the
Great Lakes is
in Bujumbura
to convey the
UN’s concerns
and work with
all parties on
defusing
tensions.
Perhaps as Ban
does more and
more, he will
"outsource"
the rest of
the UN's
reaction to
Geneva, while
he for example
cavorts with
those who,
like in
Burundi, go
after
independent
journalists.
In Burundi,
the RPA was
raided and
told to stop
live-streaming
the crackdown.
Where
is the UN
Security
Council, and
its
"pen-holder"
on Burundi, on
this?
Ban's office
has yet to
confirm
getting a
letter from
civil society
in Burundi,
below, just as
it hasn't
confirmed a
letter from parties in
Yemen
Inner City
Press asked
about on April
24. Perhaps
both are "lost
in the mail"
on the 38th
floor. Follow @innercitypressFollow @FUNCA_info
, 
